78 



THE ISLAND OF 



in the city, has twelve beautiful chapels in it, and in the monafVery are 

 cells for fifty fathers. The church of Santa Clara has feven altars adorned 

 with plate, and the nunnery contains an hundred women and fervants, all 

 cloathed in blue. The church belonging to the Augiijlines has thirteen 

 altars ; that of San "Juan de Dios nine, with an hofpital for foldiers, of 12,000 

 pieces of eight revenue. It is not a bifhop's fee, though the bifliop of Sant 

 Jago de Cuba generally refides there ; the revenue of which prelate is not 

 lefs than 50,000 pieces of eight a year. In 1700 the number of inhabitants was 

 computed at 26,000, and we may very well imagine it to be encreafed fince. 

 They are a more polite and fociable people than the inhabitants of any of 

 the Spanifh ports on the continent, and of late imitate the French^ both in 

 their drefs and manners. One part of the ifland is under the jurifdidlion of 

 this city, as the other is under that of Sant 'Jago. The diflridt belonging to 

 the Havana is by far the befl cultivated, yet it has not above fix towns ands 

 villages in it. 



The port is the beft in the WeJi-LtdieSy and fo capacious, that 1000 

 fail of fhips may ride there commodioufly : there is, generally fpeaking, fix 

 fathom of water in the bay. At the entrance of the channel, which is pretty 

 narrov/, and of diflicult accefs to an enemy, being well flanked by forts and 

 platforms of guns, there are two flrong caftles, which are fuppofed to be 

 capable of defending the place againft any number of fhips : the chief is 

 El Morro ; it flands on the eaft fide of the channel, and is a kind of tri- 

 angle, fortified with baftions, on which are mounted about forty pieces 

 of cannon. A little to the fouth of this is a battery, called The Twelve 

 ApojlleSy almoft level with the water, and carrying each a ball of thirty-fix 

 pounds. On the other fide of the channel flands a flrong fort called the 

 Puntal } by fome Moja de Maria : it is a regular fquare, with good baftions, 

 well mounted with cannon. A part of the Morro is a watch-tower, where 

 -a man fits in a round lanthorn at the top, and on the appearance of 

 fhips at fea, puts out a^ many flags from thence as there are fail. The 

 third is ffciled The Fort : it is a fmall, but flrong work, on the wefl fide, 

 towards the end of the narrow channel, with four baftions and a platform, 

 mounted with 38 pieces of heavy cannon. 



The 



